News & Commentary

A report to the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators found that facilities with high numbers of restraint and chemical incidents are more likely to produce higher rates of safety problems because of youth and staff injury, suicidal behavior, and fear among the youths from injury by staff.

The reported higher rate of incidents explain why the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators’ annual, national survey revealed only six state juvenile corrections agencies authorizing the use of chemical spray in order to secure the facilities: The low national authorization is due to data that shows negative impacts on the staff, juveniles, and facilities when it is used. The survey also showed that 15 agencies authorized chemical restraints, but not necessarily for the staff to carry on their person. Nine of those 15 agencies only authorize chemical restraint as a last

This story originally appeared at Defense One.

This past weekend was New York Comic Con (NYCC), and in addition to the usual comic book enthusiasts and army of animated cosplayers, there seemed to be a bit of an uprising brewing. Much to my delight, there were quite a few panels addressing the (lack of) visibility of LGBTQAI individuals, people of color, and women. Would my love of all things geek and all things ACLU finally intersect?

Shocking revelations about creepy government surveillance came in waves over the summer, from the Snowden leaks to the Hemisphere Project, through which the government has paid AT&T for access to a mind-bogglingly vast database of our telephone calls. In many cases of new surveillance technologies like Hemisphere, there are serious constitutional concerns that courts have not yet reviewed. That's where we come in.

Eric Amparan likes the system the way it is now. As a bail bondsman, he's part of an industry that pulls in $2 billion in revenue every year. Eric lays out how he profits off of financial desperation in our latest video in the Prison Profiteers series:

Sometimes when I hear public officials speaking out in defense of NSA spying, I can’t help thinking, even if just for a moment, “what if the NSA has something on that person and that’s why he or she is saying this?”

Today marks day 15 of the partial government shutdown. And if that wasn't enough, things could get worse unless Congress acts quickly over the next 48 hours to raise the debt ceiling. Otherwise, the United States could begin to default on its debt. The worst-case scenario here is pretty dire: financial crisis and a global economy in recession, according to the head of the International Monetary Fund.

Today, there is a federal holiday in honor of Christopher Columbus, but in South Dakota, citizens celebrate Native American Day "dedicated to the remembrance of the great Native American leaders who contributed so much to the history of [their] state." South Dakota's unique celebration of Native Americans instead of Christopher Columbus is important and not without controversy. However, the controversy should be in celebrating Christopher Columbus.

On this date in 1979, at least 75,000 people participated in the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The event marked the first time supporters of lesbian and gay rights came together for a national rally (at the time, the rights of transgender and bisexual people weren't widely recognized as part of the same struggle). March organizers announced five specific goals: